


Sunshine.

by EtherealGhost



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Panic Attacks, cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-17
Updated: 2017-10-17
Packaged: 2019-01-18 20:03:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12395205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherealGhost/pseuds/EtherealGhost
Summary: "His sunshine, little flame, precious Keith… His light had gone out, and Lance's senses were filled with a darkness, so dense that he barely noticed the forms approaching in the distance."Prepare yourselves for extreme angst.





	1. Chapter One.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Song suggestion for this chapter- My Love by Sia.

            It’s cold.

  
            That’s the first thing he notes, laying there on the cold earthy ground, rocks digging uncomfortably into his stomach.  
It’s cold, even though the sun is blazing down, heat radiating off his back, a relentless and hot, sweltering day. But, he’s as cold as ice, shivers racing up and down his spine.  
The second thing he notes, is that he’s alone- left deserted in the middle of nowhere. If he could, he would call out for help, but his throat is sore and he doesn’t have much effort to do so.

  
            The third thing he notes is the amount of blood he’s laying in.

  
            It’s a vile puddle of gore, filling his senses with iron clad stenches and pain.

  
            Oh _God_ , the pain.

  
            He can’t tell where it’s coming from, his entire body is screaming and spasming with jolts of pain, muscles contracting and wailing. He would be too, but he’s in too much of a shock to do much of anything other than lay there, hoping that the endless torture would eventually stop.  
It was hell- complete and utter hell.

  
            Red was nowhere to be found- neither was his team, his helmet was too far for him to reach without tearing himself apart even more, and he was bleeding out, pathetically, in a desert.

            Nice going, _Kogane_.

  
            Guess it all ends where it began, huh?

  
            The desert was familiar, but at the same time nothing like the one he lived at back on earth. He wished he could feel the heat instead of this goddamned everlasting chill of ice. Wished he could call out for someone, in particular, a certain blue boy who he knew was probably frantic at this given moment.  
Keith huffed, and coughed, the sound rattling in his chest with a sickly-wet sound. That wasn’t good. Hell- None of this was good. This was on the top tier of ‘things that could go wrong’.

  
            He tried to focus on breathing. It was getting progressively harder and harder, as if something were infiltrating his lungs. He imagined dark tendrils, wrapping around them and squeezing tightly, leaving him breathless.

  
            He was going to die here.

  
            All alone.

  
            Would the team know? Would they find him?

  
            …

  
            Would they care…?

  
            Surely they would, right? He was apart of the team, he was a paladin, they couldn’t just… Not care.

  
            A shudder wracked Keith's entire frame, and he gasped at the new wave of pain that ran through his form. More blood was being added to the puddle below, a steady ‘drip, drip, drip’ could be heard if he listened closely enough.

  
            Although, that was hard to do, considering the rattling in his lungs was getting louder and louder.

  
            Another shudder, and finally, a cry of pain. It tore from his throat with another raspy, wet sounding cough. His lungs were filling up with fluid- they had to be at this point, he could hardly breathe. Couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe- he was monumentally screwed.

  
            How pathetic is was to die like this.

  
            From some simple, easy battle, too. One wrong mistake and BAM! He’s on a desert floor, entrails spilling out, abandoned and forgotten.

  
            What a hell of a way to die.

  
            He isn’t sure when it started, but his lips taste of salt and that’s when he realizes he’s crying. Tears are cascading down his cheeks, muddling with the blood dripping from his mouth and nose.

  
            It’s now, that he thinks back on his life and wonders if he’s lived up to all his expectations. The orphan child he once was had grown up into a Paladin of Voltron- Defender of the universe but… That isn’t what he had wanted. That was something that was forced against his will, given to him without a second thought.  
No, what he really wanted?

  
            A family.

  
            Shiro.

  
            A reason for waking up.

            Love.

            And he had that love now, he had it once so tightly in his grip, and now…

 

            In the distance, he can hear someone shouting.

  
            It’s a strangled, garbled noise, desperate and pleading, calling out for him.

  
            “Keith!” Comes the cry again, and Keith lets out a strangled sob once he realizes who it is.

  
            Lance.

  
            His Lance.

  
            His one and only love- the one who gave him that reason for waking up.

            “L-Lance…” His voice was rough, and weak sounding, barely above a whisper. He tried again, but his words were replaced with wet coughs and cries of pain.

  
            “Keith!” He was closer now, and Keith could hear the pure panic in his lovers voice, “Oh God, oh no, Keith!”

  
            There was the sound of armor against earth, and suddenly Lance was sliding into view, his knees landing in the puddle of blood and staining the white of his suit,  
“No, no, no, no..! Baby, baby-- please!” His hands were moving over Keith's body, trying to pinpoint where exactly the blood was coming from. But there wasn’t just one point. Keith’s body was tattered- covered in gashes and wounds so deep that they were beyond repair. Keith looked up through his tears, focusing on Lance’s face. Lance was crying, too, and his brows were slanted with such desperation that it ached Keith’s heart,

  
            “Lance…” He tried again, wincing greatly when Lance’s hands passed over a particularly painful patch,

  
            “Keith, oh Keith, please…” Lance’s voice was strained, his bloodied hands pressing Keith's hair away from his face, “This can’t- You can’t- Please.” A sob, the look of desperation and then anger- rejection, “We’ll g-get you back to the castle and it’ll be okay, yeah?” His hand cupped Keith's cheek, and Keith leaned into it,

  
            “Lance… You…” He gasped on a breath, “You know… That’s not going to happen…” His eyes fluttered briefly, stirring up more panic in Lance. He gripped Keith's face in his hands, eyes darting over his form,

  
            “Don’t say that! D-Don’t give up on me, you asshole!” His crying had increased, garbling his words into sobs and cries of desperation.  
Keith’s heart ached painfully- hell, his everything ached.

  
            But, for some reason, a smile stretched across his lips, and he let out a little laugh,

  
            “Don’t yell at me, _asshole_.” He retorted, eyes opening once more and focusing on Lance’s face. His expression was one of horror, anguish, and pure unadulterated panic.

            How could Keith joke around at a time like this?

  
            “Baby, I… I’m going to roll you over, okay?” Lance's hands were back on Keith, and he gave him a small warning, before maneuvering the others form so he was on his back, head resting on Lance's lap.

  
            To say it was painful would be an understatement.

  
            Loud cries of agony tore from Keith's throat as he was turned, his entire body trembling and convulsing.

  
            “Shit--! I’m sorry, Oh god, I’m so sorry!” Lance’s hands were back on his face, stroking back his hair and rubbing soothing motions into his cheeks. Keith let out a small sob, leaning into every little touch, savouring it.

  
            This would be the last time he would ever feel those loving hands on him. That thought tore another sob from him, and he couldn’t stop the tears that were cascading down his cheeks. Lance leaned down, kissing the corner of his eyes, the tip of his nose, his cheeks and finally his lips. The kiss was gentle, trembling lips pressing against each other softly, smearing blood and tears and whatnot, but neither of them cared.

  
            They only cared about each other, here and now.

  
            When they parted, Lance pressed his forehead against Keith's own, soft sobs matching Keith's own,

  
            “Please…” He croaked out, thumbs smoothing over Keith's pale cheeks, “I can’t lose you, I can’t.” His eyes were squeezed shut, not wanting to see the reality of his lovers demise. This just… It couldn’t be real. It absolutely couldn’t.

  
            But it was.

  
            It was real, and Lance didn’t want to accept that.

  
            He couldn’t accept it.

  
            He loved Keith so much, more than what he could express and now…

  
            Now it would be all over. That love, he had finally had it and now it was all over.

  
            Keith's body shuddered tremendously, his breath rattling in his chest,

  
            “I… I love you… Lance, I really do…” He gasped. It was even harder to breathe, and his heart seemed to be pounding a million miles per minute, “I love you…” He repeated. Lance let out a small noise, a tiny whine, his eyes opening once more,

  
            “I love you. I love you, I love you.” Lance replied, kisses being placed upon Keith's lips with each word, “My sunshine, oh _God_ … I love you so much…” Another sob, another gasp of pain.

  
            Keith's breathing was getting slower, his eyelids drooping. That gleam in those beautiful, violet eyes was fading into something more dull.

            His head rolled to the side, and Lance was quick to support it with a hand, a strangled cry of, ‘N-No, Keith!’ falling from his quivering lips.  
Keith let out a little wheeze, his eyes finally slipping closed.

  
            A gentle smile rested upon his face,

  
            “Go see the ocean for me, Lance…”

  
            His chest heaved,

  
            “Go, stay alive.”

            A shudder, his body falling limp,

  
            “I love you…” His words cut off into another wheeze, a nasty sound that rattled his chest and then…

  
            Nothing.

  
            Nothing but silence.

  
            Lance stared, and stared and stared.

  
            He could do nothing but stare.

  
            Keith was…

  
            He was…

   
            No.

  
            No, no, no!

  
            This wasn’t fair!

  
            This wasn’t supposed to happen!

  
            A scream ripped from Lance's throat- guttural and frenzied. He screamed until his throat was raw, pleading to whatever Gods were up there to bring his love back. He screamed Keith's name over and over until he was reduced down to a sobbing mess, words warped with each cry that fell from his lips.  
He hugged Keith's lifeless form to his chest, buried his face into those silky locks he loved so much,

  
            “C-Come back.. Come back, please…!”

  
             But luck wasn’t on either of their sides.

  
             And Keith wasn’t coming back.

  
            He was gone, just like the sun leaves at night, but unlike the sun, he wasn’t going to return during the day.

  
            And Lance was left, cradling his lover in his arms, wails filling the vast, endless desert.

            Keith was gone, and so was a part of Lance.

  
            His sunshine, little flame, precious Keith… His light had gone out, and Lance's senses were filled with a darkness, so dense that he barely noticed the forms approaching in the distance.

  
            Gunfire filled the air, but he didn’t care.

  
            Shouts could be heard, his teammates crying out to him in a panic, but he didn’t react.

  
            All he did was scream, until his voice was gone and there was nothing left but that damn everlasting darkness.


	2. Chapter 2.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end. Hope you all enjoyed. <3  
> Song suggested for this chapter is- Through The Trees by Low Shoulder

            It’s dark.

           That much he’s sure of- there’s an endless darkness filling up the room; filling up his mind.

           It’s an eerie type, not calming one bit. There’s a sense of hopelessness and mourning that wraps tightly around him, cocooning him in a tight, grief filled blanket. It has anxiety warping his chest into something tight- something unbearable. He can’t breathe- oh God, why can’t he breathe? Is there something on his chest? Is someone choking him?

           Hands flying up, he claws frantically at the shirt covering his sweaty skin and gasps in a harsh breath.

           It burns.

           It’s a stark contrast to the everlasting numbness the rest of his body feels. 

           He flexed his toes, trying to work some type of feeling into them, but it’s useless. There’s only numbness and burning, a horrid combination that has him gasping and trembling, his body feeling more than out of control.

_           Am I dying? _ He thinks, mind working frantically to keep up with what was happening.

          Another, somber thought crossed his mind.

_          Will I get to see him? _

         But it all ended quickly, and his eyes flew opened as he sucked in a harsh breath, chest heaving as his lungs cried out in desperation for some relief. It came, in cool waves that increased his trembling, and he turned on his side to curl up into a tight ball.

_          Get it together, Lance. _

         But that sinking numb feeling was working it’s way up, into his legs, his arms, his chest and his head. It left him feeling dizzy, but he preferred it much more over the anguish he usually felt.

         Reality came crashing down into him all at once, and the only thing he could do was stare at the wall in bleak horror.

         Keith was gone.

         Keith was  _ dead _ .

         His love, his little flame, his reason for waking up each day.

         His sun had gone out, leaving nothing but an abiding darkness in his place.

         It had been weeks since then- months maybe. The team hadn’t handled it well, especially Shiro and Lance. It tore them apart, physically and mentally, leaving a hole in the team that couldn’t be patched up. 

         Lance hadn’t felt much other than pain and that damned numbness since that day. Since the day he held Keith’s body in his arms and watched as the life left those gorgeous, violet eyes.

         A shudder ran through his body, and he curled up more, only to jump where he laid when an alarm suddenly blared throughout the castle.

         He should’ve felt panic as he jumped up from the bed, but he didn’t.

         He should’ve felt excitement as he suited up and entered Blue’s hanger, but he didn’t.

         His cold, distant eyes watched his teammates as they all shot out into the endless realms of space, and he followed silently, well aware of the missing piece of their puzzle. It was too apparent to not notice- Red’s cries echoed throughout his head. It sent chills down his spine, but he ignored it. 

         The Galra fleets seemed endless, hundreds, or thousands it seemed, lined up and ready to attack.

         Lance worked on auto pilot, Blue’s worry poking at the back of his mind. She tried to comfort him, but he pushed her away. 

         The battle only got worse the longer they went on. Shiro was shouting orders, Pidge was darting about, taking down ships as she went, and Hunk was yelling Lance's name.

_          ”They have their Ion cannon on you, Lance! Get out of the way!”  _ He shouted to deaf ears. Lance didn’t respond, he slowed Blue’s controls down into a gentle float. Blue roared in his mind, trying to gain some type of response from her grief stricken Paladin, but it was to no avail. 

         The Ion cannon lit up, blazing with a purplish hue that contrasted with the blue light in Blue’s hanger.

         Shiro and Pidge yelled something that went ignored by Lance. He reached up, hand shaking, and turned off his communicator. 

         The Ion cannon was ready to attack, and Lance jerked Blue’s controls forward, swerving directly into the line of fire.

         Blue roared again, and as the blast shot towards them, Lance looked up…

         And he smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed. <3


End file.
